Political Theory: Washington's Social Programs--Breaking Up Is Hard To Do!

Just like when two people meet each other and form a relationship, if, and when the relationship ends, the pain of breaking up can be hard to fathom and deal with. This fear and pain often occurs even if we happen to know the relationship was detrimental. There usually is temporarily a feeling of being lost, like being in a row-boat without a paddle. One could call this a social or emotional dependency--like the "addiction of love".

Likewise we see the government's policies and programs, once created, can form bonds with its citizens, an emotional dependency. Even if this policy proves to be hurtful, or illogical to the society in its results, people fear the emptiness of this policy being ended. Some are often there to predict havoc will occur if this or that program is ever ended.

Lets take drug use as an example. Experts say the war on drugs causes many unintended problems for society. such as...
1) Causes illegal money to go to dangerous drug cartels and gangs ( think alcohol Prohibitions creation of murderous Al Capone )
2) Imprisons many harmless curious youth, and tarnishes their future employability with a criminal record. ( Obama would not never have been President if jailed for his admitted drug use)
3) Wastes prison space. ( best use is for violent offenders, and thieves )
4) Exposes non-criminal youth in prison to dangerous felons, and educates them to become better criminals.
5) Wastes expensive court time and state cost overhead.
6) Distracts police resources and officers from the more important violent issues.
7) Has wasted approximately one trillion dollars since the 1960s war on drugs was started.

Yet although many believe this is an erroneous policy, we can't seem to end this social policy dependency, and many claim drug addicts would start raining out of the sky if drugs were decriminalized. We have approximately 600,000 people in our prisons for nonviolent victimless drug issues. These imprisoned people are not able to contribute to the economy of America, such as the GDP/PPR ( gross domestic product, private product remaining ). Instead they suck up our taxes and resources because each prisoner costs Americans $20,000 to $40,000 to feed and keep in prison each and every year. But again, no one can dare stop this merry-go-round drug policy for fear of everyone in society suddenly becoming a drug addict, and society thus ending.

A similar scenario plays out in our American society in many other ways with the many other addictive social programs. And that too is part of the problem, we have so many many programs that when we add them up, we begin to see the enormous scope of how society is being misdirected and misshaped. The modern fabric of a healthy free society, and our natural anthropological social norms, from millions of years of social evolution are being tampered with, by many of these well intended programs. The price we pay can be social disruption like those in Hitlers Germany era, Lenin and Stalin's Russia eras, and the loss of some of our freedoms and liberties. But ultimately according to economist Milton Friedman PhD, the price we pay is job loss ( i.e unemployment ), and a less prosperous economy, where there is less wealth for the poor and middle class. Instead our wealth is diverted to big government ( Washington and taxes) , and big business ( Enron, GE, Halliburton ), and big military ( Lockheed Martin, Grumman, and 600 military bases worldwide). Most Americans would likely rather have a well paying job, and prosperity, rather than maintain this erroneous taxpayer funded Utopia, yet we can't seem to stop these failed idealist trends. Like a heavy train or car that gets into motion, it is hard to stop it by pushing back.

Some failed programs started off as great ideas, but were poorly orchestrated, or thereafter ruined by Washington politicians. Welfarism, or the protection of the poorer segments of our society never worked out as promised. Many experts argue, that our welfare mentality has caused harm to the poor by crowding them into poor government affordable housing that soon breed crime, and creates an atmosphere of hopelessness. Areas where negative or unlearnt work ethics become contagiously spread amongst each other, and infests the youth of the next generation. According to political scientists like Charles Murray, this tends to make this poverty permanent. these well intentioned hand-out programs fool its recipients into dangerous complacency  and just like a lack of exercise makes it harder to run and keep in shape-- doling out free money makes it harder to keep one's motivations, aspirations, and work ethics. The longer you remain on the dole, the harder it becomes each year to ever escape.

And sadly, the same addictive conclusion can be made from many of our modern policies and programs of the new Washingtontopia.

• Aid to Foreign Countries going to America's enemies, and facilitating dictator governments.
• Federal Reserves tampering with interest rates, causing inflation and lost savings for Americans.
• Military use to spread democracy to middle east and other countries, risking homeland safety.
• Fannie Mae's contribution towards unaffordable  housing bubbles.
• Taxes on employers causing unemployment and job loss overseas, and hurting business startups.
• Dept Of Education's interference with teaching, to make our students amongst the worlds worst in performance. ( 31 lowest in Math, 23 lowest in science PISA 2009 )
• USDA's farmers paid not to grow crops.
• Social Security mismanagement causing future bankruptcy, instead of being fixed through privatization.

In fact, there are so many failing "feel-good", programs, that just an abbreviated list would take nearly a dozen pages. But for the curious, one can begin at this website
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/omb/expectmore/rating/notperform.html  . It may be of interest to some, that all these powers and programs are forbidden to Washington DC ( i.e. the Federal Government), by our wonderful constitution in article 1 section 8, the list of allowed enumerated powers authorized. It is a list worth looking up, and understanding.

And, so not only does this failure cost Americans lost money through unuseful taxation, even worse, it causes harm to the entire economy, by diverting useful funds, energy, man-hours and other resources from prosperity and productivity in the private market. This is the factory market that gives us our jobs, and the iPhones or widgets we desire. this economic market, according to nobel prize winning economist Friedrich Hayek, its what makes us free and ended the slavery of serfdom, and the toil of the previous agricultural farm society (subsistence farming). Without this freedom, we are all economically poor eventually.

The point is once a government program is born, once the momentum of a government policy infects its host it becomes hard to reverse. Furthermore some people get so accustomed to this policy they believe its normal, especially if they were born after this policy was created. They have not had the wisdom to see how society may have well existed prior to, and without its advent, and even more so, believe to end it would be havoc.

What conclusions or solutions can we now make realizing this blindside in human nature? Perhaps it is important to realize that changing is hard, even if it means changing back from a dysfunctional situation--and therefore, that is why it must be done--because we know we tend to become complacently addicted.

The question remains--what can be done to solve this idealism that causes Washington to create these failed "feel good" mal-solutions? It is simply enforcing the restraint on innate human idealism strategized by the constitution, though this alone won't guarantee us some perfect society, but perhaps just a little better. Like being alone and lonely is not a great situation for the lovelorn, but it is far better than an abusive dangerous relationship.

Enforcing the restraint on Washington utopian idealism by the constitutions existing rules means the creation of a new organization in America to enforce the constitution in Washington-- the "constitution enforcement committee". A trusted organization run by the people and constitution experts, that makes sure all congressmen know the constitution, and enforces the constitution not only on congress, but the president, and most importantly on the supreme court. Many law experts mistakenly believe the supreme court is the final judge of what is constitutional. This is not entirely accurate, the supreme court is the final arbiter for disputes amongst of the states, and general laws of the land, but not our constitutional rights. This sole right to interpret the constitution rests with the parties that created the constitution and the foederal government ( federal mistyped on purpose due to its original spelling and meaning ), and that power rests with the state colonies, and the people of those states. Having the supreme court decide what it is allowed to allow itself to do it akin to having the fox in charge of the chicken coop, and Thomas Jefferson knew this well.

Copyright 2013 by Charles Novitsky